These Unspoken Moments
by inspire-the-writer-x3
Summary: "Just because Jake and Hayley's love is obvious to anyone but them- doesn't mean it doesn't exist." / A collection of one-shots with lots of humour, drama, angst, action and of course, romance about this very special couple-to-be!
1. Please Don't Let It Be Her

**Hey guys :D**

**I know I'm supposed to be working on There You Go Again (new chapter up soon- I promise!) but I was so tempted to write some more one-shots coz you gave me some amazing responses to my last one- Can't Let You Go. So here's a collection of one-shots I'm hoping to expand over the years!**

**Please note that some stories will be longer than others while others will be quite short. But all of them will contain some incredible stuff! It'll have some Jayley romance, with the inclusion of Cadence, Kirby and of course, Felix!**

**As always, ****PLEASE REVIEW!**** I'm planning to have new one-shots out every few days if I get heaps of feedback ;)**

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Troop.

–

**ONE-SHOT #1: Please Don't Let It Be Her**

Hayley was furious. Oh no, she was _way _beyond furious.

What the hell was Jake _thinking_- dating a half-girl, half-monster like Cadence? Was he out of his mind? Did he _want _to get killed?

Her fists clenched as her jaw visibly tightened. She shut her eyes, trying to calm herself down. When she opened them again, her usually bright brown orbs burnt with hot tears. She tried not to make a noise, as she cried angrily to herself, but the remaining sliver of self-control she had left was slipping away from her.

And it was slipping away from her fast.

She should've been fine with the fact that Jake was happy; that he had found a potential new love for someone else other than her. Cadence was one unique girl- outspoken, rebellious and into comics just as much as Jake was. Her dark hair always made her look so stunning that Hayley was starting to envy those locks of hers that contrasted so much to her blonde curly ones. She had a stunning figure behind her trademark bulky leather jackets and the blue jeans. Miss Nash had long legs _and _curves _and _was skinny. She had so much in common with Jake and was decent-looking too.

It was no wonder why _Cadence _was his girlfriend- and she wasn't.

After Hayley broke her promise with Cadence and told Jake that she, in fact, had been lying to him about whom she was the whole time, Cadence became even more broken than she already was. Jake felt immensely guilty that he was the reason why she hadn't been showing up at school or at the Soda Bar where they'd usually hang out at. Hayley knew that Jake couldn't keep feeling down so she tried to cheer him up by making him brownies and having bland conversations about comics with him, but he never seemed interested. She even tried to get him to ask her out again- which she was pretty convinced; he was trying to first before accidentally asking Cadence out. Despite Hayley's pure intentions, Jake just brushed Hayley off, like she was no help or use to him.

At this time, Hayley considered something she hadn't been ready to face: that maybe, just maybe, Jake didn't think of her the same way as she thought of him. Sure, he was a dreamy dork and she found that quality about him extremely attractive, but there was a possibility he wasn't into cheerleaders...well, cheerleaders like _her_. All Hayley and Jake ever do was argue endlessly and compete over stupid, minuscule things- how could he be attracted to someone like _that_?

Cadence might be _it_ for Jake. Hayley gulped. When the first got together, she thought they'd never work. He was such a dork when he wanted to be, like when he obsessed over comic books and lame superheroes, while Cadence seemed like a tough and rough girl. Somehow, the two got along on more ways than one; making Hayley extremely jealous. She could only argue with Jake, while the two could actually have deep and meaningful conversations.

So obviously, Hayley had been hurt. It wasn't every day that you realised how much you love your friend, until you realise their heart is taken by someone else. Bu nothing could compare to the brutal stabs to her heart when she saw the two people she least wanted to- kissing in front of her; right there, right now.

When the love birds finally released each other, there was a sense of contentment in their eyes. Cadence's started to water up as Jake grinned crookedly at her. Hayley felt sick. Her heart belonged to someone who didn't want it, because he had found someone better.

Before Hayley could think about what she was about to do, she got up from her seat and walked up to them. As she attempted to look Jake squarely in the eye, Cadence caught sight of her and rolled her eyes. She nudged him subtly and Jake's milk-chocolate eyes made Hayley's heart yearn more for him.

"Hayley, what are you doing here?" he smiled shyly. Cadence had an amused look on her face as she glanced at Jake. Hayley's blood boiled as she saw the love in her eyes while she stared at Jake's defined jaw and kissable neck.

"Yeah Hayley," Cadence teased, "What _are _you doing here?"

"I...I'm just..." Hayley stuttered as the words died in her mouth. Cadence scoffed a little as she tossed her perfect hair over her shoulder and placed a hand on her hip.

Jake's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Hayley. "Hey...are you alright? You look like you've been crying,"

"She probably got an A minus in her maths test or something," Cadence mocked, "Nothing to worry about, Jake,"

Jake gave Cadence a disapproving look, while she just shrugged. He sighed at her.

"Cadence, it's getting late. Maybe you should get going,"

She seemed shocked that Jake would've suggested such a thing. Her eyes widened and she just frowned. "Whatever Jake, call me later and tell me how it goes," She walked out soon after.

Jake gestured Hayley to take a seat in one of the booths at the Soda Bar and she, reluctantly, listened to him. He studied her, as if she was a piece of meat, trying to work out what was wrong with her. His scrutinizing stare sent shivers down her spine from its intensity. Hayley hated the effect Jake had on her. As his eyes continued to travel down her face to her neck and to the rest of her body that could be seen above the table, she felt the need for Jake to kiss her everywhere and _anywhere_.

"So do you want to tell me what's wrong or do I have to get it out of you?"

Hayley's eyes started to go fuzzy again as they were overwhelmed with stinging tears. She wiped them away with one of her pale fingers, hoping Jake wouldn't notice. Unfortunately he did.

"Do you love Cadence?" she blurted out all of a sudden.

At first, Jake looked surprised. It was evident through his twisted facial features that he had certainly not been expecting his good friend, Hayley, to ask him such a thing. After all, she was the one who said she supported him going out with Cadence- so why _couldn't _he love her?

Hayley, on the other hand, was silently pleading that he would answer with a no, and some fancy speech that confessed his eternal love for her. But that was too sappy and unrealistic. She still needed to hope though, that somewhere in that big, warm heart of his was a place that had never let her go.

Jake's brown eyes were clouded. Hayley noticed this as he subconsciously hinted to her that he had her answer. Mentally preparing herself, she took a deep breath in and gave him a small smile, awaiting his reply. Cautiously, he cleared his throat as he said the only word that could've broken her heart- and her spirit.

"Yes,"

–

**I absolutely love this one-shot! I'm so excited for this new collection of one-shots :D**

**Oh and there will be a chapter soon that is the sequel to this because I love happy endings, and this is most definitely not happy, haha. So stay tuned by ****story alerting, author alerting, favouriting and REVIEWING!**

**REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE!****  
>inspire-the-writer-x3 <strong>


	2. Slip of the Tongue

**Thanks to all those who favourited/story alerted/author alerted! ****You guys rock!**** And special thanks to: Black Thoroughbred Filly, NOOOO-ITS-ASYMMETRICAL, Angel-of-Energy, TechnicolorInsomnia, Sunshiningdays581, Cerulean Apocalypse and RandomRandoms14 for your reviews!**

**Yes, I started off with a depressing chapter coz I wanted a different spin on things. Just to be clear- this is not the sequel to "Please Don't Let It Be Her"- that will come later. This is another one-shot which, hopefully, will be short and sweet(:**

**REVIEW**** for more great stuff coming up VERY SOON! :D**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop

–

**ONE-SHOT #2: Slip of the Tongue**

"Hey Hayley," Jake waved as he walked into the Troop Headquarters as he sipped on a large soda from the Soda Bar, no doubt. He took off his backpack from his broad shoulders and placed it on the floor as he approached his partner.

Hayley's face was scrunched up, deeply focusing on perfecting her English essay on her laptop. A bead of sweat rolled down from her forehead and Jake had the overwhelming urge to make a joke at her expense about it while he wiped it away with a tissue. But instead, he remained still and stared at her until he broke her concentration.

"Jake, I'm too busy to talk today," Hayley muttered; not even turning to face his face that was oh so close to hers, "I have an English essay due tomorrow I haven't had time to do because I had lacrosse and cheer-leading to go to. Which reminds me- Roxanne wants the whole team to do an extra set of cheers today since the big game's coming up, so I need to leave in a few minutes,"

Jake sighed. He hated it when Hayley left Kirby and him to do all the monster-fighting work. They were _supposed_ to be a team, but with all her other co-curricular commitments, she rarely had time to fight alongside them. "What if there's a monster emergency?"

"Well you're going to have to manage without me, Jake. I'm sure you and Kirby can handle it; you being strong men and all," Hayley teased. Jake grinned crookedly at her and it sent her heart pounding. She attempted to ignore it though, even when she was growing paranoid that Jake could hear it. "Oh shoot, I need to get to cheer-leading! Roxanne will _kill _me if I'm late again!"

"Can I come?" Jake winked playfully, as Hayley shoved her laptop in her bag. She furrowed her eyebrows at him as she punched his arm- half flattered that he wanted to come with her and half offended that he only wanted to check out other cheer-leaders. Couldn't he see she wanted to be the only thing on his mind?

A slow, curious smirk crept onto Jake's handsome face as he replayed what she had just said in his head. "Did you just say...?"

Hayley's eyes widened in realisation as she realised she hadn't kept her thoughts to herself. Whoops. Panic started to take over her as fear pumped through her veins- fear of what would happen next and what he thought of her little confession. Hell, she wasn't even ready to admit to herself she wanted to be the only girl in her life- so why did she blurt it out on the spur of the moment?

She had to get out of there. Hayley grabbed her bag and dodged Jake's wandering gaze as she ran out of the Troop Headquarters; whose walls seemed to be getting closer and closer to her- making it extremely difficult to breathe. But before she reached the elevator door, Jake grabbed her wrist firmly so that he wasn't hurting her, but it was gentle enough to leave her weak at her knees.

"Don't run away," he whispered huskily; his big brown orbs softening as he studied her expression. God, she really was beautiful.

"What...what did you just call me?" Hayley gasped as she stumbled backwards. Luckily, in the nick of time, Jake's strong arms caught onto her fragile form and held her tightly; preventing her from falling onto the cold, hard Troop Headquarters floor. He looked at her squarely in the eyes and could see fear in them. Reassuringly, he gave her a small grin and to his surprise, found her smiling back.

"I said, Hayley-" Jake gulped nervously, "You're beautiful,"

–

**Hehehe I love this one-shot too! Isn't it so sweet and cute? I hope you liked it too! Love it? Hate it? Got any suggestions? Leave me a review and I'll make sure to consider them and mention YOU in my next one-shot; which, by the way, I've already started planning ;)**

**Please REVIEW if you want more!****  
>inspire-the-writer-x3<strong>


	3. He's My Hero

**Thanks to Black Thoroughbred Filly, Angel-of-Energy, imsuchanut, Wrong Side Of Life, RandomRandoms14, jayleyfan4evr, NOOOO-ITS-ASYMMETRICAL and Cerulean Apocalypse for leaving a review! I appreciate all of your feedback and the story alerts, author alerts and favourites you give me too! (:**

**Hopefully, I will be updating "There You Go Again" within a week or so because I'm having a little trouble writing Chapter 18. And the sequel for the first one-shot "Please Don't Let It Be Her" will be coming out soon; maybe even after this one-shot. ****So stay tuned my story alerting, author alerting and favouriting!**

**As usual, ****leave a review!**** I love reading them :D**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop.

–

**ONE-SHOT #3: He's My Hero**

"Guys, guys, guys!" Kirby squealed as he ran up to his fellow Troop members in the hall-way. Hayley and Jake turned around and grinned as their tall friend caught up to them; his breath coming out in short, ragged beats.

"Whoa, calm down Kirby," Jake chuckled.

Hayley didn't find it especially funny though, as she gave Jake a stern look. He just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Kirby, what's wrong? Is there a monster emergency?"

"No," Kirby groaned, "Worse,"

"They ran out of chicken nuggets at the cafeteria?" Jake gasped. Hayley giggled slightly but then punched Jake playfully on the arm. "Ow! Hayley, what was that for?"

"Distracting me," she mumbled.

"Well, would could be worse than a monster emergency?" Jake responded; shaking his head. "Obviously, if the canteen ran out of nuggets! Damn, I love those succulent pieces of chicken..."

"Jake...it's worse than if there was a world shortage of chicken nuggets," Kirby sighed dramatically. Hayley and Jake stared at Kirby alarmingly.

"Kirby- out with it!" Hayley snapped impatiently. Kirby shuffled his feet with discomfort, as he grabbed Jake and Hayley's wrists and led them into an empty classroom.

"So...my parents were happy that I was fitting into my new school quickly. They liked me having friends and being part of clubs, i.e. the mime club. But my nosy parents decided to visit the principal one day and were informed that there was no funding for the mime club, making them incredibly suspicious on the types of people I hang out with,"

Jake remained silent for a few seconds, until he began laughing til tears escaped his eyes that currently looked like slits. "That's _it_? You were panicking about your parents thinking you're hanging with druggies?"

"Actually," Kirby said quietly, "They called you lowlifes,"

"Evidently, they haven't met us. I mean, when they see my exemplary school record and all the co-curricular activities I'm part of- including cheer-leading, lacrosse _and _student council, they'll have no choice to accept me as a more-than-suitable friend," Hayley smiled smugly. Jake, on the other hand, had stopped listening to her boastful speech for a while and was mouthing everything she said with a mocking expression and a teasing frown on his face.

Kirby tried to keep his chuckles to himself, but couldn't hold it in any longer. His mood was instantly lifted as he saw Jake imitate Hayley. Hayley's face dropped and her eyebrows furrowed as she became confused on why everything was in on the joke, except her. Kirby, being the nice guy he was, nudged his head towards Jake and it suddenly all clicked in her head.

"What the hell, Jake?" she growled. "Just because you're jealous of my incredible academic and social records, doesn't mean you have the right to ridicule me- especially in front of Kirby!"

Jake's jaw clenched immediately, as he heard what Hayley had just said. Why did it matter if he embarrassed her in front of Kirby? Did...did she like him? His fists balled up as he felt the nails dig into his clammy palms.

Before Jake could respond with a bitter remark, Kirby was smart enough to cut in and save the day. "You guys better not bicker like this when my parents meet you tonight,"

"_Tonight?_" Hayley squeaked with doubt, "Kirby, I have cheer-leading practice and if I don't go again, Roxanne will-"

"We get it, Hayley- she'll skin you alive or hurt you in some torturous way. We're sick of your excuses and lack of commitment to this team," Jake commented dryly, "Either you come to this dinner to convince Kirby's parents we're the 'right crew' or _you _leave the Troop,"

Shock slammed into Hayley; immensely taken aback by the vulgarity of Jake's words. Her eyes widened as she blinked back tears.

"Fine," she murmured dejectedly.

–

Kirby's house- which was more similar to a _mansion_, was extravagant; to say the least. It was a stylish cream colour and looked, bizarrely like a mixture of modern and classic architecture. The windows gleamed with an irreplaceable gloss and the lights glowed up the place with extreme elegance against the dark blue sky.

"Your house is amazing!" Jake shouted excitedly, "Damn dude, you should _so _have invited us earlier!"

"Jake," Hayley scolded as she smoothed out the creases in her white cocktail dress. She had taken an hour to pick the perfect dress and create the flawless illusion she was trying to give off. Her eyes shimmered and her hair was placed in a simple up-do, showing off her high cheek-bones and slim neck. "I'm pretty sure Kirby Bancroft-Cadworth's parents would not appreciate such _adolescent _behaviour,"

"We're kids, Hayley," he scoffed distastefully, "They want us to act like ourselves- not uptight pansies,"

A quick flash of hurt seemed present in Hayley's brown eyes, but as soon as it came, it was gone. Instead of looking like her pride had been damaged by Jake's insult, her nostrils flared as she opened her mouth to speak. However, Kirby cut her off.

"Will you both just stop arguing? My parents would-"

"Master Kirby," a small voice spoke up. The three Troop members turned around and saw a petite lady in a red apron and a feeble smile on her face. "Your parents are awaiting you and your friends' presences at the dining table,"

"Thanks Nat," Kirby grinned. He gestured Hayley and Jake in, as they smiled politely at Kirby's maid. They tried not to marvel at the amazing beauty of the inside of the mansion as Kirby led them into the dining room.

"Oh, how it is a pleasure to finally meet Kirby's mime club friends!" Kirby's father chuckled deeply. "I'm Mr Bancroft, but you can just call me Tony,"

"And I'm Mrs Cadworth," the lady extended a hand out graciously, "It certainly is lovely we get to meet such beautiful friends of Kirby's!"

"Mother, father," Kirby started; clearing his suddenly dry throat, "This is Hayley and Jake. I'm sure you'll find their skills inside and outside of school quite outstanding,"

"That definitely sounds promising," Kirby's mother replied with a grin to her pale face, "Please do sit and tell us about yourselves. The chefs will be finished with our meals shortly,"

Hayley and Jake took a seat next to each other on the red-leather, mahogany chairs. Everything was perfectly polished and clean- like the room had been cut out of a movie and stuck into this mansion. There was a beautiful chandelier that hung above the stretched, marble table, and it gave a unique glow to everything in the room- including Hayley.

Jake sighed. Kirby's parents and Hayley seemed to be getting along swimmingly, as they spoke about future aspirations and current short-term goals. How could they _not _be impressed by her faultless self? She was beautiful, charming _and _smart, with the highest grades and greatest amounts of popularity. He gulped sadly. She was so much more successful than him in so many ways- in intelligence, beauty and character. Maybe that was why he was so harsh to her and why he always had to put her ego down before it inflated too much.

Kirby was rich and a smart fellow too. He cringed involuntarily when he saw _them _together. They looked so happy together, as Hayley leaned on Kirby's shoulder, while he whispered words of love in her ear. Jake squeezed the silver fork in front of him furiously; his knuckles turning white in the process.

"Why, Jake my boy!" Mr Bancroft exclaimed, "You've remained awfully quiet for the past few minutes. Why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

Jake snapped out of his jealous daze, as he faced the eager faces of Kirby and his family. Hayley's though, seemed uninterested, but at the same time, her eyes almost seemed like they were _hurting_. Why on earth would she be in pain right now? He cleared his throat as he grinned politely to himself. "I like to draw,"

"That's lovely, dear!" Kirby's mother said encouragingly, "Kirby was never the creative type. He's always the one up to mischief; this one!"

Kirby's cheeks flushed as Hayley and Jake giggled. Hayley looked to her side and saw a grinning Jake. She had to seriously convince herself that he didn't look incredibly handsome in a dark-blue collared shirt and black slacks, to prevent her _own _face from going red.

"But come on, son," Kirby's father laughed awkwardly. Kirby shook his head at his dad and opened his mouth to speak, but his father was quicker than him and interrupted Kirby's train of thought. "Art isn't a _real _career. You need to think seriously, like Hayley over here. She has a good future in front of her- Yale is always a good place to start for something serious like law or medicine,"

"Excuse me sir, but art is my passion and I want to pursue it," Jake smiled forcefully. He was trying extremely hard not to snap at his primitive view of careers, but was slowly losing the battle to restrain himself.

"Well, if I may say something myself; I think art is an interesting direction when it comes to life," Hayley said rationally, "It allows you to express yourself and let others acknowledge your individuality- something we all dearly hold to our hearts,"

Mr Bancroft scoffed, laughing mockingly. Kirby urged his mother to stop her husband from embarrassing him and being spiteful to his friends. She only whispered to him, refusing to do such a thing and dishonour Kirby's father. He groaned, as his heavy head fell into his hands.

"Oh naive Hayley," he grinned cunningly, "You're young- so you have a naive view of the society. Hayley, darling; art isn't a career. Jake is a fool for even _considering _it as an occupation. Imagine- the _audacity _of telling your own parents that you'd be throwing away your whole life for some silly little dream! How preposterous!"

By now, Jake was so pissed off at the arrogance of Mr Bancroft that his face was bright red and his eyes glared dangerous daggers. He got up from his seat; all self-control fleeting as he pointed his finger at the very man that could end the Troop- by taking Kirby out of 'mime club'.

Hayley smiled quietly at Jake; putting a light hand on Jake's taut arm. Cautiously, she pushed it down so that within a few seconds, it was beside his torso. Jake straightened as he ran a frustrated hand through his messy hair.

"Mr Bancroft," Hayley remarked; clearly unamused. "I believe _you _are the one who has the naive perspective. Life's all about taking chances and tackling challenges to get the best end result. For me, my happiness lies in Yale because that's just where I think I'll find myself and develop myself as a person. But Jake believes in art...and I believe in him,"

Kirby smirked knowingly- he _knew _Hayley had a thing for Jake, and that Jake was in denial about her too. Jake gave her a shocked but loving look, as she continued on. Suddenly, all the fights and the insults and the bickering they always had just disintegrated and just didn't matter anymore. She supported him, when he was being put down right then and there, and there was no way he could ever repay her for such a deed.

Hayley smiled, grabbing her clutch as she intertwined her fingers with Jake's hand. Shivers sent up her spine as her heart sped up. She was certain being with him would be exhilarating, but she was never aware of the effect he had on her until now. Before the food even came, the two began to walk out of the dining room, holding hands, as Kirby's parents gasped at their atrocious behaviour.

"By the way, Mr Bancroft, Jake isn't a fool for taking such a risk," Hayley laughed matter-of-factly, "In fact; I think he's a hero,"

–

**Kind of random but this one-shot is nice. I think we see Hayley as superior to Jake too many times, so I wanted her to support his goals and dreams for once(:**

**Hope you like my longer one-shot! Tell me which ones you prefer, or if you don't mind and love what I'm doing in a REVIEW!**

**PLEASE REVIEW FOR MORE...AND SOON!**** Your reviews mean the sooner my updates :D  
>inspire-the-writer-x3<strong>


	4. Love Me Like A Lover

**Well...I just finished a practice essay for class. I wrote almost 1400 words when the limit was 1000 words...think I'll get in trouble? ):**

**Sorry for not updating sooner! Hope you guys are all well and excited for the new one-shot! So here's the much anticipated SEQUEL**** to 'Please Don't Let It Be Her'! :D**

**By the way, if you ever have any ideas/suggestions for a one-shot, please tell me through a review! :D**

**Thanks to Angel-of-Energy, minimaddi, Zeppo104, Black Thoroughbred Filly, RandomRandoms14 and booklover51089 for reviewing the last one-shot (:**

**Like always, ****REVIEW**** or no next one-shot!**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop.

–

**ONE-SHOT #4: Love Me Like A Lover**

Usually, the word 'no' would mean a rejection of some sort and that the one you had asked the question to did not like you or would not go on a date with you; depending what the question was. But in this case, Hayley was hoping- no _praying _Jake would say it; to let her jealous nerves settle down and finally leave her system.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

When the syllable escaped from Jake's pink lips, Hayley's heart stopped. Her breath- as soon as it came was lost again as she struggled to inhale and exhale. It was meant to be simple- her and Jake. It was meant to be like breathing. As soon as she got over her stubborn denial on how she had about the most _giant_ crush on Jake Collins- resident comic book geek, it was meant to all work out, just like in the movies and the romance books she had been reading _way _too often.

So why didn't it?

With wavering eyes, Hayley looked up at Jake. Somehow, he appeared pained too- like he had been hit by a truck of emotional distraught. Hayley sighed; releasing her almost-forgotten breath. Why would've Jake been upset at the reality that he found love with someone that _wasn't _her? The only person that had a valid reason at the current time to cry was the same girl who got her heart ripped out by the one she only ever wanted to give it to.

"Hayley?"

Jake's warm voice temporarily soothed her; as if it was coating her with a thick, woolly blanket in an attempt to heal her broken heart. Involuntarily, she shrugged the feeling of imaginary comfort off of her as she discreetly wiped away the tears that began to gather in the corners of her eyes.

"I have to go," she murmured. Without thinking, Hayley had already left her seat and bolted out of the Soda Bar as quickly as possible.

Jake's hard exterior had almost already chipped away in the span of the last few seconds. He had never seen the perfect Hayley Steele so vulnerable and hurt in his life- even when she had been kidnapped by aliens or when she had been scratched by that monster with the large jaws with a name he currently couldn't care less about. The only thing on his mind was that he had to find Hayley and somehow make it up to her.

He left a few bills on the table as he jogged out the door. As he turned the corners and waited for the street lights to turn green, he couldn't help but think why Hayley would have been so broken after she had asked such a question.

What did she expect of him- to _lie _to her and say that she didn't like his first girlfriend, Cadence? That would've been crazy. Cadence was very pretty with her dark hair and her clean silhouette. The way her blue jeans hugged her legs made Jake drool. No one could blame him for that- he was a guy and those kinds of things made their eyes bludge and their tongues waggle with delight.

The past few weeks dating a mysterious but beautiful girl had been bliss for Jake. For once, he had someone, besides his friends and family, to count on and to hang with. Every kiss and hug shared with Cadence made him feel safe and at home. She was his escape from the chaos of a life he had; the chaos being his involvement in the Troop, his eternally-growing stack of homework from school and his passion for comic books. Cadence helped him maintain a balance between everything he loved- even squeezing in time for the two of them to hang out and just chill at the Soda Bar with a few burgers and milkshakes. Everything seemed perfect.

But Jake knew it wasn't.

There was a part of him nagging with such intensity, that a headache would emerge every time he got too close to Cadence. It was a horrible habit and an ongoing one too. It was almost like someone was sending him a sign to _not _be together with her, even when it made him extremely happy. At first, he didn't think much of it, but now, as he continued to think about Hayley, he could've seen why fate had been so cruel on him now.

Hayley and him had such a complicated beginning, middle and certainly, will have an unhappy ending. They were just so _different_. He was an artist at heart while she was a cheer-leader, lacrosse-player and any other person _except_ an artist. He loved following his gut while she preferred a more tactical approach. He spent his free time sleeping and eating on junk food as he drew more comics of them- even though he'd never admit it, while she was donating blood or raising money for the blind.

They just weren't _compatible. _

He sighed warily; unsure why this particular thought he had already admitted to himself since the day he met the perfect Hayley Steele had suddenly stabbed a spike of pain into his heart. God, she was so unattainable. She had those luscious curls of hair that smelt like strawberries and those deep brown eyes that he could've just stared at forever as he placed kisses all over her soft neck and warm lips.

It was so cruel that their differences could never work in their favour to get them together. They were too different from two social classes with two separate paths of fate. But still, Jake wanted to be the one to hold her, kiss her and love her- and as mean as it sounded, he would've traded Cadence in for Hayley in a heartbeat.

In what almost seemed like an eternity, Jake finally found Hayley sitting on a brown park bench with her fragile hands covering her no-doubt-teary face. He walked over slowly to her; careful not to disturb her, until her bloodshot eyes met his concerned ones.

"What the hell, Jake?" Hayley exclaimed as she clutched her chest with a shivering fist, "You scared me,"

"Sorry," Jake apologised; running a hand through his unruly hair. He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her knee; the other hand on her chin as he carefully turned her head to face him. She visibly stiffened under his touch. Immediately, he retreated his hands so he didn't scare her off. "I think we should talk,"

Hayley stared at Jake blankly before replying. "Well I don't want to,"

"And why not?" Jake shouted. His anger and frustration towards her started to accumulate.

"There's nothing to talk about," she shrugged, "I'm happy for you and Cadence- honestly, I am. You've found love and...if that makes you happy, then who am I to take that away from you?"

"Hayley..."

"You said you loved her, Jake, and I know when someone admits they love someone else, it's a big step in any relationship," Hayley continued. Moisture had again formed in her eyes so she rubbed her eyes with her cold fingers. "I just want you to be happy...even if it's with a half-monster like Cadence,"

"Hayley-"

"I mean, you can't exactly choose who you end up with," Hayley laughed bitterly; sniffling a little as she did, "Because if I could've...I would-"

Jake cut her off mentally before she could've told him about _her _mysterious lover. Hearing Hayley talk about another guy made him feel sick to the core. Even though she was only his friend, he still felt somehow obliged over her. He didn't like knowing the fact that every time Hayley was at cheer-leading practice, football players would be checking out her chest and her butt. He wanted to be the only one who could've done that. It was the same when he heard school captains and presidents wanting to ask the beautiful Hayley Steele out. He wanted to be the only one who had the trouble and had to endure the nerves in dating such an exquisite creature. _He _should've been the only one to threat his fingers through her incredible hair, kiss those beautiful lips and argue with her every single day for the rest of his life.

And that's when it hit him.

He loved Hayley.

It wasn't the same kind of love as he felt towards Cadence; oh no, it wasn't. It was completely different and more exhilarating and exciting. The protection he felt over Hayley and the electricity that pumped through his veins every time she touched him or hugged him was _way _more significant than any feeling Cadence had ever created on him. He glanced at Hayley with that infamous hundred-watt grin, and Hayley froze mid-sentence with surprise.

What was he up to now? Hayley was quite aware of her rambling and how half way; Jake had seemed to be in deep thought or a daze. She tried to ignore the fact that he probably was thinking about how pretty and amazing Cadence was, even when it was killing her on the inside. She really should've been happy for Jake and Cadence, but the more she thought about them, the more she wanted to attack him and fight for _her _man.

"Hayley," Jake started off; grabbing her warm hand as he rubbed lazy circles on her clammy palms. Hayley's head began to spin as she had trouble concentrating on the words that came out of Jake's delicious mouth, "When I said I loved Cadence, I didn't really mean it. I mean, I love her a lot- she's funny, she's cool and she's just as much of a comic book fan as I am...well almost,"

Hayley chuckled slightly. "I don't think anyone can be as much of a comic book fan as you, Jake,"

"The point is, I love her, but I think I only love her as a friend," Jake said amusingly, "You, however...I love as a lover,"

–

**It's too late here to write any more and I have school tomorrow...plus it's getting kind of long haha. ****So I'll be putting up another accompanying one-shot to 'Please Don't Let It Be Her' and this one, 'Love Me Like A Lover'- ****it'll be like a three-shot LOL because clearly, this story isn't over until they get together ;)**

**REVIEW FOR QUICKER UPDATES!  
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	5. Hate That I Love You

**I know from my Twitter (Inspire_Sarah), I said I wouldn't be updating much for the next few weeks, but I was too tempted to write another one shot :D**

**Thanks to imsuchanut, SJAandDWfan, Black Thoroughbred Filly, RandomRandoms14 and minimaddi for reviewing the last chapter!**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop.

–

**ONE-SHOT #5: Hate That I Love You**

I absolutely hated Jake Collins.

I hated his curly blondish-brownish hair that made him look like Greek God when it was damp. I hated how his laugh overwhelmed my system with a million, chaotic butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I hated how he had somehow carved his smile into my mind so that it was in there every second of every hour of every _single_ damn day.

I hated his lame jokes and how they wormed their way into my life so I had a goofy grin every time I thought about them. I hated when his eyes go all glazed as he talked about comic books and his favourite superheroes. I hated how close I could get to him when I hugged him so that irresistibly unique smell that was just so _Jake_ wafted its selfish, sadistic way, up my nostrils; only so I could yearn for him more.

But mostly, I hated how he hadn't picked up on my subtle hints on how much I detested him.

Almost a week ago, I was running late to cheerleading practice, as usual. I was pushing my legs further and further until I was at the field. When I arrived, I saw familiar faces, all listening intently to what someone had to say. They crowded around someone in the middle of the field; giggling and flirting intensely. Naturally, I was curious to see what all the commotion was, until I heard Roxanne's whiney voice cackle with delight.

"Oh Jake, you're just _so _hilarious," she drawled; twisting a lock of her blonde hair with a bony finger, "I don't know why Hayley always talks so harshly about you,"

My pulse stopped as I heard the words escape from her lips. I remained a few feet away from the girls so I could continue to eavesdrop on their conversation; despite the fact I was frozen and my body refused to co-operate in moving to either join the group or run away.

"Now, ladies- ladies," Jake laughed. Roxanne and Amy, a tall skinny brunette, both sighed dreamily as the other girls watched Jake like he was a piece of meat. Internally, I gagged. "Hayley is a good friend of mine and we shouldn't be...-did you just say she talks about me?"

In an epileptic fashion, all the girls giggled vivaciously now as they began to whisper in each other's ears with hundred-watt smiles. Jake glanced at them appreciatively as I felt a prominent pang in my heart. "Of course she does," Amy winked, "But it's nothing important. She isn't your girlfriend...right?"

"No, ladies; I would never date Hayley," Jake rolled his eyes before swinging an arm over Roxanne's thin form, "You, however, I just might consider,"

Unaware of how tears had trekked down to the side of my heated cheeks, I spun on my heel and bolted. For the rest of the day, I avoided Jake and Felix and didn't pick up my phone or Troop watchcom- even when there were emergencies or when my mum was freaking out on the subject of where I was.

But it didn't matter. I was hurting from Jake's words and actions around my cheerleading squad. Sure, I was used to Jake hitting on anything with a nice pair of stems, but _this _was a new time low. I didn't know why it suddenly bothered me so much now, but it did. I didn't like seeing him with other girls; no matter if it was just purely normal conversation, or if Roxanne and Amy were giving out flirts like they were free candy for little kids. Jealousy consumed me as I furrowed my eyebrows and clenched my jaw every time I thought about Jake with any other girl.

The next few days didn't get any better. I only had class with Jake for a two lessons out of my six and after the horrible memory of him being mobbed with girls, I was kind of looking forward to seeing just _him_ and his big brown eyes. The ironic part of this was that I did see him and his big brown eyes; but, they were glued onto the attention of a curvy brunette with dazzling green eyes, who had also taken my usual seat next to Jake's. I tried to remain unaffected as I sat down at the back of the classroom and diligently wrote notes down. As soon as the teacher left the class though, Jake and the girl would hit it off again- this happening around seventeen times in the 40-minute lesson. I instantly felt nauseated that I was missing his warm voice talking to _me_. In a vain attempt to save my dying dignity, I plugged in ear-phones to my ears and blasted music into them in order to drown out their painfully pleasant conversation.

The rest of the week pretty much went like this. I'd ignore him and refuse to acknowledge him as a person, as girls with lower IQ's than breasts hung around Jake; as if he was suddenly Mr Popular. Even during Troop missions, Jake and I would usually split up so that I was by myself or with Kirby. I remember quite clearly that after one mission, the three of us had headed back to Troop Headquarters to grab our school stuff and go home. My arm had accidentally brushed against Jake's as I reached for my bag, and immediately, goose bumps rose from my pale skin. Jake's mouth briefly opened but then shut again. We were both so close; both _so _close that if I decided to be foolish enough and lean forward; my lips would've touched his soft ones. Abruptly, the image of the million of girls had probably also touched. I gulped audibly; the air sizzling between us before retreating and running out of the room before I did something we'd both probably regret.

"Hey Hayley,"

My head snapped up as my attention diverted to my left. Yielding brown eyes immediately caught my attention as my heart leapt into action and my breath caught in my throat.

"Stop ignoring me," I blurted out unintentionally. Jake looked taken aback at first, but then his husky laugh escaped through his lips and I instantly felt like melting into a puddle and away from his gaze. My cheeks began to heat up as he leaned forward and stared at me dead in the eyes. I began to pace away from his faster- determined to get away from him because if not, my heart was surely going to pass out from pure joy that he had noticed me even when he hadn't been talking recently.

Jake cleared his throat awkwardly as he extended out a hand and grabbed my arm. "You know that's a big lie, Hayley- you're the one who's been ignoring me,"

Subconsciously, I rolled my eyes at him; even when a smile was still evident on my face from the electric pulses his touch had given to my pale skin. Ripping my arm away, I sighed pitifully. I was still trying to get over the fact that after a few torturous days of ignoring Jake, he finally decided to speak to me. In all honesty, I really missed his voice and his face and his eyes and just...being in his presence. It made my heart soar that there was a slight possibility he had missed me too.

"I would never ignore you!" I lied through my teeth. Jake didn't seem convinced though, but instead smirked knowingly and shrugged nonchalantly before turning his back to me and walking away. I was about to protest and tell him to come back and talk to me.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I screamed as I ran up to him. He turned around with a lazy grin on his face and my heart skipped a beat again. I cursed internally before staring at him again. "You seriously think you can say hi to me when you haven't spoken to me for the past week and then just walk away like nothing's the matter? What the hell, Jake?"

"You said you weren't ignoring me," Jake replied calmly, "My problem with you is solved now. What else do I need to say to you?"

"Oh, I don't know," I drawled sarcastically. I began to poke his strong chest with my finger in an attempt to get my point across. "You should apologise for being such an idiot for these past days and flirting with anything in a skirt!"

A wicked grin appeared on Jake's face. "You're in a skirt, Hayley. Am I flirting with you?"

I looked down and saw that I was, in fact, in a black pleated skirt. I gulped; knowing I was losing this mental battle when usually, I had the upper hand. My face began to flush again when I felt his proud gaze skim over my long legs.

"Oh, you idiot," I punched him playfully, "You know what I mean,"

"No, I don't," Jake growled. He cornered me into a dark, cold brick wall and shivers instantly travelled down from the close proximity Jake and I were in. I could feel his heated skin against my own and the pit of my stomach ignited as if being set alight.

"Jake...what are you-"

Jake interrupted my stuttered protest. "I mean, one minute I think we have something, and the next we don't. You always prance around in those teeny-tiny cheerleading skirts near all these guys that say horrible things about what they want to do with you. And for some, stupid, sick reason- I care about what they say. It isn't right for me to care so much, though. I needed someone to distract me. Any girl; _every _girl could've done that for me. It could've satisfied the desire I have for you. I want to be the only one that touches you, kisses you; sees you in those ridiculous outfits that make you so damn irresistible,"

I shifted my position awkwardly; unsure of how to reply to his newly-confessed lust for me. On one side, I felt glad that he had some sort of romantic feeling towards me, but on the other, I was disappointed and hurt that I was only some unattainable figure to him; and not a potential lover. Tears began to form its way into my eyes and I tried to push his strong arm aside to leave.

"That's enough, Jake," I croaked aloud, "I don't want you to only find my physically attractive, ok? I hate how sometimes you can be so shallow. I hate how you check out every girl and you purposely flirt with them in front of me, in a pitiful attempt to spite me. But most of all, I hate that I love you!"

"What...?" Jake exclaimed; his voice unnaturally quiet, "What did you just say?"

"I said- I hate that I love you!" I cried again as I shook my fists in the air in a dramatic fashion. "I could've fallen in love with anyone else but no, it had to be you! I had to fall for you; a guy who clearly doesn't feel the same way. So let me go, you arrogant, hubristic, son of a-"

Jake's soft lips captured mine before I could've finished my sentence. His lips were warm and tasted like apples; his scent so damn delicious, that it made me inhale deeper and deeper with each second that passed. His body pressed against mine further- like he was trying to get closer to me, despite the fact we were both wearing thick coats or jumpers. Automatically, my legs wrapped around his narrow hips as his tongue licked my upper lift slowly. I groaned at contact as our tongues began to dance violently, before he let go of me.

"Jake Collins," I smiled sincerely as he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Hayley Steele," Jake said huskily. I looked into his dark eyes and tried to steady my own breathing before he began to speak. My whole body was on fire and I felt like I was in heaven as Jake's arms embraced my small waist tightly. "I hate that I love you too,"

–

**Yeah, I realised I didn't have a Jayley make-out scene; so here it is. OMG it's nearly midnight and I have to get up at 7am to go school...going to be soooo dead LOL**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**** More reviews = quicker updates :D  
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	6. Crazy About You

**Hey guys! Sorry for not updating recently- my big exams are coming up in a week. Eek! Wish me luck please? ):**

**This chapter was inspired by something that happened to me yesterday. x3 (unfortunately, the beginning is only true...but I'm going to the movies with someone I deeply care about soon!)**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop! (I don't own any Disney movies mentioned in this story either!)

**Thanks to Zeppo104, Black Thoroughbred Filly, imsuchanut, NOOOO-ITS-ASYMMETRICAL, booklover51089, RandomRandoms14 and BuffyandChris for reviewing the last one-shot!**

**Please review for quicker updates!  
>And if you get all my Disney references (there are 4!) in this story- <span>PLEASE leave me a review and list all the moviesfairytales I included :D  
><strong>**inspire-the-writer-x3**

–

**ONE-SHOT #6: Crazy About You**

Hayley's eyes watered up as she watched the purple-spotted blue monster, Sully's grin widen from hearing Boo's voice calling him 'kitty' at the end of one her favourite Disney movies. She grabbed a tissue from her dresser and dabbed the corners of her eyes from the moisture that had gathered there. Carefully, she squeezed the tissue into a ball and tossed it into her pink bin located beside her study desk. As she got up and took the movie out of the DVD player, her phone chimed, signalling she had received a text message.

_Hey Hayley, what are you up to?_

She involuntarily grinned goofily at Jake's text, as she wasn't expecting one from him. Even though they were close friends, he was incredibly lazy to pick up his phone and actually _use _it like a teenager would- which was for calling and texting. Jake usually spent his time reading comic books and playing video games than socialising with others. So of course, Hayley Steele took the initiative of helping him with his little 'problem', so he wouldn't end up living off donuts and bread crusts with his 27 cats at the age of 50.

_Just watched a Disney movie- they always tear me up! Haha, I'm so lame. What about you?_

As she put her DVD away, she found a classic fairytale that Disney had recreated and was immediately tempted to waste her night away watching all these 'true love' movies. Hayley seriously considered the possibilities of her doing work after a long day of cheer-leading and doing assignments and assessments and realised that she wouldn't have done anything productive, even if she sat down and attempted her long to-do list. Before she knew what she was doing, she chucked the DVD into the DVD player and eagerly awaited the movie to start...until her phone chimed again.

_Aren't you a little old for Disney movies? And yeah, no arguing there :P_

She frowned at his text message at how he had implied she was old and lame, but his joking tone and fast reply made her heart skip a beat. The movie had already started; she could tell by the music and the cackling of some evil step-mother in the background, but she didn't really care. The fact that Jake had texted her _and _replied so quickly, sparked hope that he was thinking as much about her as she was thinking about him.

_You're never too old for a Disney movie, Jake! You're the one who reads comics- that's pretty lame too, you know!_

She pressed send and placed her phone down; silently praying that he would reply as fast as he did before. Hayley had already missed ten minutes of the movie and found it stupid to continue watching it when she had no idea what was going on. Even though she had watched this particular Disney movie thousands of times, she suddenly didn't feel like watching it and opted for something less clichéd. Taking the DVD out and replacing it with a more exotic true love story, she smiled appreciatively at herself before taking a seat.

Although the name of the main character had slipped her mind as she was consumed of thoughts that involved Jake, she never heard a reply from him. It had been an hour and still, there was no response. Hayley began to panic- did she accidentally insult him with the lame comment? Her fingers frantically fluttered an apology over the keyboard of her phone. She honestly didn't mean want to offend Jake; even when she hadn't mean to. Nevertheless, she needed to apologise. But before she could've pressed reply, her conscience got the better of her as it begged her not to annoy him when there could've been a perfectly rational explanation for the absence of his reply. So, she stopped herself and inhaled deeply in a pitiful attempt to control her urges from texting him by concentrating on the movie playing in front of her.

_Look out your window._

Hayley's stomach flipped when she, _finally, _got a response from Jake. Taking the remote control from her bedside table, she pressed pause. Her eyebrows furrowed as she re-read Jake's mysterious text. What did he mean? It had no connection to her previous message, and yet, he had chosen to reply with this.

"At least Jake isn't angry with me," Hayley sighed; running a hand through her unruly hair, "I think,"

Her phone buzzed again and Hayley, trying not to shake too much as she saw Jake's name light up the screen, quickly opened the new message.

_NOW!_

She laughed nervously before running to her window and lifting it up with a gentle but forceful heave. Her eyes widened; her jaw went lax; her heart stopped, when she saw Jake in her garden with a banquet on a picnic blanket, like an adapted version of one of the other Disney movies she liked so much. A grateful grin formed onto her face as Jake beamed up at her- his eyes even brighter than the stars that illuminated from the dark night sky.

"Come down!" Jake shouted from her garden, a wide, toothy grin evident through the cool facade he was trying to give off. Hayley had a feeling he had enjoyed the reaction he had gotten out of her from this little surprise. She giggled before grabbing a coat and running down the stairs so she could get to the garden.

Once there, she ran into Jake and wrapped her arms around his warm form. He smelt absolutely delicious- as creepy as it sounded; almost like apples. It was crisp and fresh and it made him the even more alluring than Hayley already thought of him as. His bright brown eyes stared lovingly into hers and Hayley was mesmerized by the depths of his orbs.

"You made me paranoid that you were pissed at me!" Hayley yelped as she punched his arm playfully. He winced at her, before rubbing his arm tenderly; the smirk never disappearing off his face. "I mean- why did you take so long to reply?"

"I had to prepare this feast for us!" Jake protested; slinging an arm around Hayley's shoulders. "Recognise what movie this is from?"

"Yeah, I do," Hayley admitted quietly as she grabbed Jake's hands so that they were now facing each other. "Why'd you do this though?"

Jake snorted. "Isn't it obvious?" Hayley shook her head and Jake only leaned close; his minty breath tickling her pink lips. "I'm crazy about you,"

"Crazy enough to re-create a lame Disney date for me?" Hayley giggled.

"Yes," Jake nodded seriously, "That's how crazy I am about you,"

Hayley's heart did a somersault as she found herself smiling like an idiot. Jake looked shyly at her but all she did was close the space between them so her lips touched his cheeks.

"And for the record," Hayley interjected; pulling her lips away from Jake's face. Their foreheads touched and she could feel the static beat of Jake's heart pound in time with her own. She snickered inwardly as her ego inflated due to her awareness of the effect she had on Jake through her kisses.

"What?" Jake pouted. He didn't look very happy that she had stopped touching him with her lips. She only winked at him.

"I'm crazy about you too," Hayley confessed. A genuine grin flickered onto Jake's face, as Hayley smiled at how adorable he looked when he was happy. Before she could've opened her mouth to remark on his cuteness, he pulled her in for the first of many kisses to come.

–

**Yes, I know- this story is adorable! It's my favourite; by far! Anyway, it's late so if I accidentally made any mistakes, I'm very sorry!**

**AGAIN- do you know what Disney movies have been mentioned or hinted throughout this story? There are 4 so if you think you know a few, ****please leave a review telling me what you thought of this story and the 4 Disney movies mentioned in this one-shot!**

**REVIEW IF YOU'D LOVE THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU! And if you love me! :D  
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	7. Forbidden

**DEDICATED TO M. I miss you. I wish we didn't have to say goodbye.**

**If you follow my Twitter (Inspire_Sarah), maybe some of you guys know I haven't been feeling physically well and that I've been emotionally drained lately. I got some stomach virus...in the same week someone special left me; so I really haven't ever felt this alone before. This is probably why this is such an angsty one-shot. **

**Anyway, if you follow my Twitter (Inspire_Sarah) or read my UPDATED Troop story, ****There You Go Again****, you would know that I went on holidays for two and a half weeks recently, hence the lack of updates. But I got back a week ago and I thought up of some new ideas for These Unspoken Moments and my other Troop and Fiction Press stories, so expect updates soon. But due to my current condition, don't force me to write. I just need some time to revert back to my normal, happy self.**

**Thanks to those who guessed and reviewed the last one-shot, including: Black Thoroughbred Filly, Zeppo104, RandomRandoms14, BuffyandChris, Wrong Side Of Life and romancefanficnerd!**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop. Or Yale. I own everything else though, like Ben, Anna, Joy, Kelly, etc.

**Please leave a review to this one-shot? And follow my Twitter please?  
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–

**ONE-SHOT #7:** **Forbidden**

Hayley knew since the beginning of time that college was going to be a bigger, if not _harder_, trek than high school.

There was the combined international studies and law degree she was hoping to accomplish within the few years at Yale University; that was the main reason for the sudden increase in difficulty in relation to her studies. When she first found out that she was going to be attending this prestigious school, she couldn't wait to get into it. It made her even happier that her best friends Felix and Jake were joining her too. Kirby and Cadence decided to take a year off before they headed off to college, with the two new love-birds on a European tour for the next six months. She was unsure of when it happened or even _how _Kirby and Cadence ended up together, but she was just glad that Cadence had finally gotten over Jake. Because let's face it- she wanted to be the _only _one that ended up with Jake.

She was currently in her second year at Yale and loved _almost _every second of it. Attending the university with Felix and Jake reminded her of the days of high school, before Felix went off to some nerdy high-school for the intellectually talented and gifted. She had missed Felix deeply during his departure, although they constantly kept in contact with each other during the years- even when the three of them completed their SAT's. But, she had never been more grateful when Felix had chosen Yale instead of his preferred and the top technological institution in the state: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or commonly referred to MIT. Felix still studied a course that he was not only interested in, but intended to do in MIT anyway. Mechatronics, a new type of engineering that used robotics in an attempt to make human life easier, was his chosen area of study, and she was not surprised when she heard he had topped his class several times in their various exams.

Jake, however, surprised her the most. Instead of following his passion for art and comics, he ended up taking several courses involving financing, marketing and economics. She had teased him endlessly over his choices, as they all involved managing money- an aspect of his life he wasn't very good at, since he was just about broke _all _the time. But he would always say that this degree needed to be achieved in order to establish a comic book company, i.e. his ultimate dream. Hayley never believed him and dismissed his excuses until one day, she had intended in visiting him to get some coffee after her last lesson for the day; only to find out from his room-mate, Ben, that he had taken an extra elective at Yale- art.

"Why didn't you tell me you did art?" she screamed at him with fake anger. Punching him playfully, he turned around; his eyebrows furrowed.

"Didn't think I needed to tell," he shrugged, before walking with his tray of food and sitting it down in the main hall. Hayley quickly grabbed her lunch so she could chase Jake and tease him _just _the little bit more. "You never asked. I assumed I didn't need to say anything,"

"Well, I didn't have a single clue...until, you know, your room-mate Ben told me," Hayley replied dryly as she poked the plastic fork into her salad. "I don't appreciate being one of the last people to find out things about you- especially when I'm your good friend,"

"Ok, ok, Hayley," Jake shot a toothy grin at Hayley, "I promise I'll tell you every single petty detail of my life now. Hey, look! I'm going to pick up my sandwich now and eat it before our break ends! Isn't that _invigorating_, Steele?"

Hayley pouted as he chuckled, shoving the food into his mouth. Her eyes involuntarily flickered to his soft lips and how his pink tongue darted in and out to wipe the mayonnaise that had fallen out of his sandwich and onto his mouth. Jake's dark eyes suddenly met hers as her heart turned itself in and out; the air became thick, as she found it hard to breathe.

"Thank you so much Hayley and Jake for waiting for me when I said to," Felix remarked as he grabbed the two of them by the shoulders with each individual arm separating the close proximity they had previously been in. "Hey, what were you guys up to by being so close?"

"Nothing," Hayley croaked out; refusing to meet Jake's eyes. Although her head was still spinning from the potential _moment _the two previous Troop members had, she was fairly sure that Jake had sighed briefly to himself, before devouring the sandwich in his mouth in a single bite.

Felix only smirked secretly to himself, as he adjusted his glasses and sat down beside Hayley. "Don't forget we're going to the new bowling bar for Dan's party this Saturday, guys. I heard from Kelly that the place has amazing drinks _and _clean bowling shoes!"

Hayley perked up. "I'm so excited that none of us have any exams or assignments coming up any time soon so that we can enjoy our college life for once," Jake and Felix nodded; agreeing with the blonde. "So I saw how about we meet at the front gate at six and walk over together to meet Dan and the others?"

"Sounds like a plan," Jake managed to splutter out as he continued to chew the remaining sandwich in his mouth. Hayley barely stifled a giggle.

"Whoa Jake, slow down!" Felix laughed as he patted Jake's back. "Where are you going in such a rush? Our classes don't start for another half an hour!"

"Yeah, but Anna's classes start in ten minutes, and I see her leaving the hall now," Jake winked as he gestured to the doorways. Hayley was kind of shocked that Jake's personality had brightened noticeably, so that he was back to his pig-like ways. She scowled when, to her surprise, she did see Anna standing by the exit of the main hall.

"Since when did you have the hots for Anna?" Hayley queried; raising an eyebrow. Felix also had a puzzled expression on his face as they both turned towards Jake. Jake's mouth twitched and all of a sudden, Hayley grew nervous. She had known him well enough to tell when he was about to get angry.

"What," he snapped, "Are you trying to say that I'm not good enough for her or something?"

Hayley sat there dumbfounded at the severity in Jake's words. She had never implied such a thing- nor had she even _considered _it. Anna was a petite brunette who was majoring in optometry. In no way was she a close friend of Hayley's, but her room-mate, Joy, was one of Anna's best friends, so she often heard about Anna from Joy. Hayley found it rather strange that she knew Anna's favourite colour was green and she went to the gym across the road from the dorms every morning during the week, especially when she never uttered a single word to her.

"Dude, you need to relax," Felix intervened during the uncomfortable silence. "Hayley never said anything that was meant to be purposely offensive, so cut the anger out,"

Something flashed in Jake's chocolate brown eyes, before he rolled them and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Whatever," Jake waved off, "I know what Hayley was _really _thinking and trust me- it was most definitely offensive,"

Hayley didn't get a chance to say anything before Jake walked off and began to flirt with Anna. Her lips thinned as she watched the brunette giggle at Jake's stunning smile. Felix rested hand on her tired shoulders as he attempted to get her mind off the new couple-to-be.

–

Joy slid on a few black rings onto her thin fingers as she grabbed her black eye-liner and coloured in her water-line. Running her newly-manicured hands through her blue-streaked hair, she applied a light layer of red lip-gloss. After a few seconds, she groaned impatiently, as she saw the bathroom door was still closed shut from the corner of her dramatically painted eyes.

"Hayley Steele!" she yelled; banging on the door with a heavy fist, "You've been in that bathroom for well over half an hour and I really need to pee! What the hell are you doing in there?"

Looking at her reflection, Hayley sighed. Her curly hair had been straightened temporarily by Joy, her room-mate, who was currently studying forensics at Yale. A light, shimmery dark blue eye-shadow had been packed onto her eyes, making her brown orbs stand out behind her unusually pale face. She wasn't feeling very well. A cough escaped from her nude lips, before she leaned over the toilet bowl and emptied the contents from her stomach.

"Oh damn, I didn't know you were sick, girl," Joy grimaced, as she attempted to turn the bathroom's door knob. No luck. "Why'd you lock the door, Hayley? I don't exactly want to be responsible for your death if you accidentally choke on vomit or something,"

"Thanks Joy," she muttered weakly, before taking a gulp of water to rinse her mouth. "I really needed that imagery,"

Joy shrugged. "It's almost six already, Hayley. I really don't think it's a good idea to go to Dan's party. Booze won't exactly help you in making you feel better if you're puking already,"

"But I can't let Jake and Felix down! I mean, we haven't hanged out properly in a long time coz of our busy schedules. Dan's party is a great opportunity for us to be together again," Hayley protested, as she swung open the door.

In a lacy-black sleeved mini-dress, Hayley stumbled in her black pumps out of the bathroom, until she lost her balance and Joy gasped. Luckily, she had landed on the bed, face down, instead of severely injuring herself in her poor state.

"You look hot and all, Hayley, but seriously, don't go and cause yourself the trouble. I'll tell Dan you said happy birthday and that you're a million times sorry that you couldn't make it,"

"Alright, alright, Joy," Hayley pouted. She adjusted herself so she was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed, staring disappointedly at the blue-haired girl. "But at least let me leave the room to tell Felix and Jake that I can't make it,"

Joy seemed doubtful, but Hayley pleaded silently with her large, brown eyes. "Ok, fine, but get back in ten minutes, or I'm going to be late in meeting Kelly and Anna. And if I'm late to another one of their social events, I think they'll boil me from the inside," Joy remarked harmlessly, adding another layer of gloss to her potent lips.

"Again- thanks for the imagery!" her suddenly-queasy room-mate yelped, as she grabbed her phone and changed into a pair of flats from her sky-high heels, while running out the door.

–

Felix Garcia had handled the bad news quite well. When she explained herself, and when he examined the missing flush on her usually pink cheeks, he knew Hayley had been telling the truth about her being sick; especially when he saw how pretty Hayley was when she dressed up. She must've been devastated that she couldn't go Dan's party, considering she had been really hyped up about bowling and the open bar that would be there. Felix himself wasn't counting on getting drunk tonight; but a beer or two wouldn't hurt. In fact, the only reason for him was to hang out with Hayley and Jake like Troop members again.

After Hayley teased Felix about Kelly- again, one of Joy and Anna's best friends, a wide, dorky grin formed over his tanned face, as she continued to persuade him to ask her out. Kelly was a sweet girl and she was actually Hayley and Felix's first friend at Yale. She had taken the same course as Felix, and she was always supportive of Hayley's choice of law, despite the difficulty of it. A few minutes of mockery had forced Felix into an overly-excited mood to see her all dolled up at the party, so he decided that he had to get _extra _ready to meet Jake at six. She only wished him good luck and good night and he returned it with a simple but comforting hug. When the door shut, relief washed over her as she was surprised herself that he hadn't given her a speech on friendship and commitment and all the other social qualities she had been lacking in particularly over the past year. Oh wait; Felix _always _understood her. It was the _other _best friend of hers that was clueless to everything but Hayley Steele's faults.

She tried to walk slowly to Jake's dorm, in an attempt to stall time so she wouldn't have to face him. He hadn't been talking to her much after the whole Anna thing- and how he had totally over-reacted over a few harmless comments Hayley had thrown at him. Even though it was, in no way, Hayley's fault, she still felt guilty that she, _herself_, was the reason why they were giving each other the silent treatment. Jake was probably still angry at her, as he refused to acknowledge her as a person, while she was just too cowardly to apologise and make up.

When she had finally arrived at Jake's door, she curled her fingers into a ball and lifted it to knock on the wood; she hesitated. She didn't exactly want to argue with Jake when she was both physically and mentally weak. But, she knew he'd be more pissed with her if he realised she had broken her promise and wasn't out with the old Troop gang. Gathering all the courage she had, she took a deep breath as her knuckles thumped against the door.

"Hello?"

Hayley squeaked as she closed her eyes shut when she heard the door swing open. She hated feeling scared of Jake. She was clearly more capable than him and more dependent on herself than anyone else; she was smart and decent-looking, while he was just her lazy, angry friend. Why couldn't she just, in Jake's words, '_man up'_?

"Hayley?"

That wasn't Jake's voice. Her heart thumped against the thin, but tight material of her dress, before a small poke to her shoulder made her jolt slightly to open her eyes.

Amused blue eyes danced into her vision, and her heart audibly quickened. She gulped loudly before smiling shakily at Ben. Not once, had Hayley ever felt _mesmerized _by a guy. Well, there was Jake, on rare occasions, but it was clear to her that he wanted nothing to do with her. Ben Cooper was a shaggy blonde with bright sapphire-stained eyes, who was studying to become a doctor. He shared classes with Anna in their first year, studying general medical, but now that Anna had left the class to do a more specialised course, the two lost touch.

"Jake's not here, if that's what you came here for," he stated, although Hayley didn't miss the cautious tone in his voice. "He left with Anna ten minutes ago to Dan's party. I see you're all dressed up, so if you thought you were going with him- you thought wrong,"

"Hey!" Hayley spat as she stopped Ben from closing the door in her face. "What the hell is your problem?"

Ben's blue eyes widened. He cursed under his breath; which was too low for Hayley to hear, before speaking up with an apologetic tone in his deep voice. "Sorry...that didn't come out right. It's just; I'm tired and a little bitter that I couldn't make Dan's party. It's going to be the party of the _year _and literally _everyone _is going. But I'm stuck in this pathetic dorm, studying for my apprenticeship at St Mary's Hospital next week,"

"Oh," Hayley breathed. "I didn't know that. Congratulations on the apprenticeship though. I heard those are hard-"

All of a sudden, Hayley's headache came back and a huge bolt of pain struck itself against her fragile stomach with such intensity that she bent her knees and collapsed onto the floor. She heard Ben curse under his breath before frantically asking me if she was ok. She only nodded. Ben was pretty terrified at what had happened- although he was partially glad that she hadn't fainted and that she was still conscious. With his muscular arms, he propped one under her knees and the other around her neck, to carry her over to his bed; bridal style.

"What...what are you doing?" Hayley murmured, as she clutched at her stomach; wincing at the pain.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to look after you," Ben replied in a calm manner, "You don't look well enough to go back to your own dorm anyway,"

"But I'm...I'm fine, Ben. I don't need your help, really," she fought back; even when she knew she was lying. "I understand you're a doctor and all but that really-"

"Before you collapse again, I suggest you retain your strength and just try to relax now," Ben suggested in a strangely professional manner. He placed her limp body onto his surprisingly comfortable bed, and smiled to her reassuringly. "You're going to feel better after I take care of you. Handling common infections and diseases, like the flu, the cold, and in your case, the stomach virus, should be no problem for me. It was first year medical stuff,"

Hayley clamped her mouth shut as Ben left the bed and into the bathroom. She didn't bother asking him what he was doing because he was right- she needed to calm down in order to feel okay again. Stressing out would've been the worst thing to do right then, as it would've weakened her already fragile state. Her phone came to life in her dress pocket and she proceeded to fish it out of her pocket and answer it. But just in the nick of time, Ben swooped in and answered the call for her. Hayley wasn't sure whether to hate Ben for being so nosy, or thank him for taking the call when she wasn't feeling well.

"Hayley's phone," Ben greeted cheerily. His eyebrows furrowed as he heard whatever the person was telling him over the phone. Hayley took her chance to study him carefully. She was never particularly close to Ben, even when she came to visit Jake. He had dimples. Wow. She never realised until a small smile flickered onto his face. He had a cute smile, Hayley figured; as his blue eyes illuminated beneath his dark eyelashes. Abruptly, she stopped herself from examining Ben's face and turned her head quickly; her cheeks reddening when she noticed his eyes had been on her the whole time.

"Who is it?" she managed to croak out. Clearing her throat, she met his gaze again, only to notice he had looked away too.

"Ok Joy, tell Kelly and Anna I said hi too," Ben finally spoke up. It certainly sounded like Joy had done a lot of talking. "Yeah, of course I'll look after Hayley. Tell Jake to stop raging at me and to calm down. She came here looking for him; so _obviously_, he _should_ be feeling guilty that she wasn't under your care in your room. Look Joy, he yelled at me first. Ok, whatever, there really is no point to this. I need to care for Hayley. Have fun at Dan's and tell him that we said sorry and happy birthday from us,"

Ben hung up and placed the phone on the bedside table. A damp towel, which had been in his hand for the past few minutes, was placed on her burning forehead and she only had to nod a 'thankyou' for him to understand.

"I'll just be sitting here, finishing up some study," Ben explained as he pointed to his table; located conveniently against his bed, "If you need me, just give me a nudge,"

"Actually," Hayley interjected. Ben's attention went back to her and it reminded her of how Jake would look at her when he was _actually _listening to her. Although Ben's eyes didn't sparkle like Jake's, Ben was _always _interested in what she had to say, which pretty much balanced the lack of depth blue orbs usually had. "I'm kind of hungry,"

"There is no way in hell I am leaving you to get food," Ben said firmly, as he grabbed out his wallet, "Which is why I'm paying for the delivery of pizza,"

"Thanks Ben, remind me to pay you back for everything you've done," Hayley smiled, before blushing slightly. Even though she didn't see him dial any numbers, he was already on the phone waiting for the pizza place two streets away from Yale to pick up. "So you buying dinner- is that a regular thing you do with Jake or just a special thing you do with us girls?"

"Not all girls, Hayley; only the special ones," he winked.

–

Somehow, sleep had conquered her before she had even had a slight bite of food- or the pizza that Ben had ordered. Hayley knew this because she had awoken from her slumber from her _own _stomach's growls. The damp towel from her forehead had also been removed; most likely from Ben when he realised that she had fallen asleep. Heck, she didn't even know _herself _when she fell asleep. All she knew was that she was glad her head and stomach aches had magically disappeared.

Voices echoed through her head, and easily, she could tell it was Jake and Ben- Jake because she had been around him long enough to know his distinct, husky voice; and Ben, because she had just spent the last few hours with him, as he kindly looked after her, when he really should've been studying for his medicine-apprenticeship-thing.

"Look Jake, it wasn't what it looks like, ok? You really are over-reacting!"

"Over-reacting?" Jake growled, "You were in bed with Hayley! What the hell is that about? You _know _how I feel about her!"

"And you know how I feel about Anna!" Ben snapped back; equally as furious. "We dated for a _year _Jake- how could you have just gone behind your bro's back and taken her to Dan's party?"

"I was trying to make Hayley jealous, ok, Ben?" Jake hissed, although this time, there was a sad tone to his words. "It was a pathetic attempt, but still...it was an attempt. You don't know how bad it's been bugging me; I mean- I can't feel _this _way about my best friend!"

Ben hesitated before opening his mouth. "And why can't you?"

"Because I'm not good enough for her!" Jake screamed with frustration. "She deserves a doctor, like you. You guys would be perfect for each other with your high achievements and your outstanding academic and social records,"

There was an eerie silence between the two; allowing Hayley to breathe. She hadn't opened her eyes yet- scared to see the two boys arguing over things that still did not make sense to her. She couldn't process what Jake was trying to say and in a weird way, she didn't want to process it. If Jake liked her, they could be everything she had wanted them to be, like a couple; like lovers; and maybe even end up as husband and wife. But the prospects of that happening were both low and terrifying; and if Jake actually didn't like her, and was only fooling around, she would've never been able to live with the shame of letting herself become _vulnerable_. She liked Jake- hell, she might even _love _him; even with his drastic mood swings and secrets. He may never feel the same way about her, though the slight chance that he did made her reconsider the whole 'I'm falling for Jake' thing.

Jake did have a point. She knew it must've been pretty unbelievable to agree with his self-deprecating analysis, but to a certain extent, she agreed that she wanted someone to match her intellectual abilities. This didn't mean that Jake was dumb or anything; of course he wasn't! It just reminded her that he was going to be some big CEO of his own company, while she was going to be a lawyer working at some international firm- two completely different career paths since he was going to be the employer and she- the employee. It made her feel inferior, for once, and she did not like that. If her husband was _better _than her; her pride wouldn't have it.

"Why couldn't you have just left Anna alone and asked Hayley out yourself?" Ben asked quietly. He had seen Hayley stir and frown in her sleep, and he was starting to doubt that she was still sleeping. It had been five and a half hours since she had fallen asleep at seven.

"Ben, trust me- Anna's hot and smart and all, but I wouldn't ever date her because you too are _meant _to end up together. When people look at you, they just _know _you guys are supposed to be together," Jake reasoned; purposely avoiding Ben's question. Internally, Hayley nodded- she had always suspected Ben and Anna had gone out, though their relationship was kept so secret that few people in her student body knew about them.

"And how do you know people don't think that about you and Hayley?" Ben challenged. He was trying to hide the fact his heart had skipped a beat when he thought about him and Anna together again. They really had brought the best out of each other- with both of them receiving top marks in last year's course. "You can't say that about Anna and I without even _considering_ the same between you and the girl you've been best friends with since high school,"

"Well, it's different between us. It's just so much more complicated than your cupcake-sweet relationship. Us being together...it's just kind of forbidden,"

"Forbidden?" Hayley exclaimed; sitting up from the bed to see two pairs of surprised eyes staring at her. She gulped. Whoops. She had certainly not meant to been eavesdropping; let alone notify them _of_ her eavesdropping. But no, she wasn't going to back down now. She had her doubts about Jake and her ever working, though now, after hearing him admit he has doubts too, she was absolutely sure they could work together to eliminate all doubts from both their heads. She was determined to sacrifice everything- even her dignity, to convince him that their relationship was worth giving a shot. "I mean, sure, we have a rocky friendship and we both are unsure of where this potential relationship will lead us to, but think of the possibilities, Jake. It could be a huge mistake but...there is a big chance this will be the best thing that happens to me; and _maybe_...even the best thing for the both of us,"

Jake shook his head slightly; as if he was trying to make up his mind. He was beyond confused- and he knew it himself. Ben only shot him a 'don't blow this opportunity!' look, and Jake felt the need to speak up. Ben shot an encouraging grin at Hayley and all she did was blush back. Overwhelmed with jealousy, he stepped closer to Hayley and inhaled deeply, in an attempt to stop the rapid racing of his heart.

"This...we..." Jake stuttered; purposely avoiding Hayley's eye contact. Her soft fingers suddenly brushed against his chin and he visibly stiffened. She smiled quietly to herself; happy to know that she still had an effect on him. Lifting his head up carefully, his fearful brown orbs were mirrored into hers.

"Tell me, Jake," Hayley pleaded. "Tell me we can work this out,"

Jake racked through his brain, desperate of constructing a legitimate and proper answer to Hayley. Although her hair was pretty messy from her previous long nap, he could still smell the lavender shampoo she had used in it, and it was sending his rational thoughts- or whatever was left of it, into a frenzy. He wanted to kiss her so badly; taste the pink flesh of her plump lips. But, he couldn't. He wasn't good enough for her- and he would never be. His own insecurities were eating him up whole; he would never be as smart as her, or match her in beauty, or even come _close _to being the man she deserved. Hayley was an amazing creature who needed a Prince Charming- not the frog.

"I...I can't tell you that, Hayley," he whispered shakily. Ben gasped and tried to hide it, as he fearfully watched for the poor girl's reaction. Hayley stepped back; away from his proximity and shivered immediately. She missed the warm grip he had over her skin.

"Why not?" she gritted through her teeth. She was trying not to sound angry but she couldn't help it. She had put herself out there- hoping for the best and here Jake was, rejecting her honest and raw suggestions to give their relationship a chance.

"Because," Jake sighed tiredly, "We're forbidden. And I fear that...we always will be,"

–

**So...do you like longer or shorter one-shots? If you like these, I'll try to make more time and plots that take longer to develop (:**

**I know this is a longer one, but that's because the concept takes a while to built, and I realised, while re-reading all my previous one-shots, that I hadn't written a super long one. So here's a super juicy one, haha!**

**Yes, this is angst and yes- it's not a happy ending. But love doesn't always have happy endings. You know the saying: ****If you love something, let it go. If it comes back- it was meant to be yours but if it doesn't- then it was never meant to be.**** Although this was angsty, this has been ****my favourite one-shot**** so far, because it captures a harsh reality.**

**On a happier note, in regard to the last one-shot, the 4 Disney movies mentioned were, in order: Monsters Inc, Cinderella, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast; some of the best Disney movies I have ever watched!**

**So thanks for reading all my author notes (if you do, I know this one has been quite long) but I just wanted you guys to know what's going on in my life in order to understand my writing better.**

**Reviews mend a broken heart- so leave one today please?  
><strong>**inspire-the-writer-x3**


	8. Just Because

**Hey guys! I'm updating...yay! ****I have so much good news to tell you guys! :D**

**1) Australia Nickelodeon has FINALLY started airing Season 2 of Troop! So yay for inspiration!  
>2) Christmas is just around the corner and I was thinking of writing another seasonal story for this very special time! <strong>**Do you guys think I should write one?**** If you're unsure of what might be expected, please check out my last seasonal fan fic story for Christmas/New Year- Reindeer Kisses! And obviously, leave a review! ;)  
>3) I've been on Fan Fiction for over a year now! Have I really been here that long?<br>4) I know I say this for every one-shot but I really LOVE the concept of this one! It's sweet but has touches of angst and sprinkles of drama and humour- I hope you guys like it though! ****It's super long and amazing and I worked super hard on it so please review!**

**Anyway, that's enough blabbing. So yeah, thanks to my reviewers for the last one-shot 'Forbidden': Wrong Side Of Life, NatsuMikan8804, Peace-Love-Star-Girl, Black Thoroughbred Filly, romancefanficnerd and KiwiDaydreamer! Love you guys!**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Troop. Or Cambridge.

**REVIEW FOR MORE! And if not, will this be the end of These Unspoken Moments? ):  
><strong>**inspire-the-writer-x3**

–

**ONE-SHOT #8: Just Because**

It was certainly not Jake's day today. He had woken up late, as his alarm clock refused to ring, and despite already being late, he couldn't find his battered sneakers- the ones also signed by his favourite comic-book artist. When he finally got dressed, he had raced down the stairs, only to find his parents had already gone to work and Phoebe was nowhere in sight. His annoying little sister was the last thing on his mind though as he pulled the fridge door opened and groaned when his tired eyes met with no milk and no bread.

"What the hell?" Jake growled as his stomach mimicked the same sound that had just escaped his dry throat. God, he was starving! And there was no way, a growing boy like him, could skip breakfast.

His phone suddenly came alive and Jake could hear the action-filled ringtone echo throughout the room. As a reflex, he slapped his thigh to feel the object in his pocket, but to his surprise, it wasn't there. Well, that, and he hit himself a lot harder than he had intended to.

The ringing had stopped and he groaned to himself. Not only did he miss a call, which could've been incredibly important, but he had also lost his damn phone. He slammed the fridge door shut and pulled back his fist so he could punch the wall.

Fortunately for him, his angry antics were cut short when the door bell chimed. His bloodshot eyes lifted as he strode over to the door to open it.

"_What?_" he roared.

His pissed off expression slowly disintegrated when a pair of brown eyes melted into his vision. And as soon as his insides softened, a wide, goofy grin appeared on his face.

"I brought breakfast?" Hayley smiled meekly; as she rose up a brown paper good to his eyes. His nose caught sense of pancakes and he immediately reached out for it. She only laughed to herself as his clammy hands rummaged through the bag as he opened the flimsy plastic container to stick a strip of bacon into his mouth.

"Thanks for this," he mumbled; clearly satisfied with the discontinued growls of his ravenous stomach. Hayley rolled her eyes amusedly at his pitiful excuse in multi-tasking, before he opened his full mouth to speak again. "But seriously, Hayley- what are you doing here?"

Hayley laughed, as she watched him devour more food. "I knew you were going to be late- it is Monday, after all," Jake pretended to act offended at her comment, but in the end, he just asked her if she was going to be late for school. She said that she didn't have classes in the morning today since her Physics teacher wasn't at school, and Jake immediately relaxed. He didn't exactly want to be the reason for her perfect attendance record to be tarnished!

His stomach was desperately begging for his attention, as he continued to eat the food Hayley had so kindly delivered to him with his grubby fingers. Soon though, his throat became parched, so Jake waddled over to the fried and took out a jug of orange juice. Taking out two tall glasses out of the cupboard, he poured the refreshing liquid for Hayley and himself. Hayley thanked him for his generosity, before the two Troop members rose their glasses and a small clink echoed throughout the empty house. And as Jake continued to eat, Hayley sighed knowingly.

_Just because, I know you._

–

"Look out, Hayley!"

Hayley's head whipped around. Gasping at how close the monster's spiky tail was to her, she thought on her feet and in the nick of time, did a quick back-flip, to land in the bushes. Kirby sighed with relief that his team-mate was alright, before taking out a plasma booster from the ground, where it was tossed aside when the monster tried to kill them. He began shooting red beams at the monster, and in retaliation, it roared and fell to its knees.

Although Hayley was completely out of danger by now, and the monster was almost defeated, thanks to Kirby, she had landed quite roughly. Her head kind of hurt from her unexpected landing on twigs and dry grass, so to tend to the pain, she rubbed it sourly. Slowly getting up, she saw a familiar figure rush to her side, like she was so used to doing when he had hurt himself.

Jake's concerned eyes wafted into the atmosphere. His heart was pounding like crazy in his chest; thankful that Kirby had warned her just in time as he was attempting to find a better angle to get rid of the unknown monster. She looked crushed and a little bruised, and even when he had seen her in this hurt state before, it still pained him to see her like this.

"Oh my god, Hayley...are you ok?" he croaked. His voice sounded strange and strangled, so he tried to rid of it by clearing his throat. Jake had seen Hayley almost get killed a million times, so how was this any different? Well, it wasn't. He only _felt_ different this time.

Her soft chuckle entered his ears and it made his cheeks tint with a bright pink colour. "I'm fine, Jake. Just...unable to get up,"

Jake laughed this time as he threw one of her limp arms over his shoulder and slowly, pulled her up. Her long but toned legs bent at the knees as Hayley used her feet to push herself fully up. When she finally stood up, he grinned at her; silently showing her his relief that she was alright. As she opened her mouth to say something, she suddenly lost her balance for a second, but Jake's strong arms caught her before her nose touched the ground.

"Thanks," Hayley whispered; unaware of the effect she was having on him. Her breath tickled the hairs on his arms and he felt his heart thud in the drums of his ears. "I don't know why you put up with my clumsiness,"

Kirby screamed out for both of them to duck and Jake covered Hayley's body with his so she wouldn't get hurt by the monster that was approaching them once again. The warmth of her so close to him; the smell that was so uniquely Hayley made his face flush with embarrassment.

_Just because, I care about you._

–

Every year at Lakewood High School, an event would be held where all donations would proceed to a selected charity of their choice. This year, Hayley and her cohort decided on the 'Cirque du Lakewood'- a carnival that was inspired by circuses with heaps of games and shows for everyone's enjoyment. Hayley was ecstatic that the Party People- a popular party-planning company had decided to sponsor the event, and she was even more excited when Mr Stockley said that they could extend the event to be a whole day; meaning that all students would miss out on one day of school.

"Good job on making the charity event a whole day, princess," Cadence remarked, as she bit into her sixth apple for the day. Hayley dismissed her sarcastic tone and only smirked at her; proud that she had made an influence on a rebel like Cadence. Instead of munching on hundreds of burgers and fries, she had advised to her to maintain a healthier diet- and then that way, she could maybe have managed her monster side more efficiently than before.

"Thanks Cadence," she replied as she took a mouthful of her Thai beef salad that she had made herself this morning in order to celebrate her recent achievement. "You should definitely go visit the Dunk Master when you're there; I'm sure they'll be some people willing to dunk you into cold water for a quarter,"

Hayley winked at Cadence and she scowled back, although there was a glimmer of 'well played, Hayley Steele', in her gaze.

"I said good job, princess," Cadence rolled her eyes, "I never said I was going,"

"And why wouldn't you come? It's all for charity, Cadence- it'll be a fun day out with peers and teachers and other members of the community! Plus, they'll be food and performances and-"

"It's not really my thing; charity and happiness and whatnot," the half-monster, half-human waved off. Her dark eyes caught sight of Jake Collins and she snickered when she saw him in the cafeteria line with Kirby, waiting for the lunch special. "But I guess since Jake might be there, I might as well go,"

Hayley's hands involuntarily curled up into fists as she strangled the metal fork in her hands. Stabbing her salad to stack them together on the arms of the fork, she took a quick bite before forcing a brief smile at Cadence. "I'm glad you're going then,"

Cadence chuckled cynically as she sat back into her chair and crossed her legs. Damn, did she look smug. "Relax princess, Jake's all yours. I see the way your eyes brighten up when you see those curly locks of his,"

Worry filled her veins and she mentally cursed herself for being so obvious. It was totally and completely pathetic how she pined over Jake; it was almost necessary at this point to deny everything and _anything_. She held a steady stare at Cadence in a pitiful attempt to intimidate her, when really, she felt kind of disgusted at herself for liking such an artistic and warm-hearted visionary. He deserved someone as free-spirited as he was, like Cadence. Hayley Steele was only the over-achieving cheer-leader, not the creative muse- or _his_ creative muse.

"What...what are you talking-?"

Cadence only scoffed as she tossed her dark blue hair behind her shoulders. "Don't think stuttering will help you here, Hayley. I mean, I get it- Jake's cute and nice and funny. But he isn't the smartest guy around, nor is he the sportiest. Isn't the perky cheer-leader supposed to end up with someone like the star football player?"

Hayley's eyes lost their intensity as she absorbed what Cadence had been inferring. From the corner of her gaze, Jake's brilliant face appeared, as a wide grin spread across his handsome features. With a tray held firmly in his grip, and Kirby talking about cars or comics with him to his side, he waved at her and she found herself smiling back at him like a fool.

Cadence nudged Hayley with her foot that was underneath the table and the blonde's attention was suddenly hers again. "Yeah, sure...you totally don't like him. You just went all dazed and starry-eyed when you saw him for absolutely _no_ reason,"

Hayley opened her mouth to protest, but Cadence had beaten her in speaking before Jake had arrived at their table. It was silently decided that both of them didn't want Jake to hear this conversation between the two supposed frenemies.

"What I really don't get is," Cadence continued to interrogate, "Why him?"

Jake and Kirby had finally gotten to their table, as Kirby pulled out a chair and sat next to Hayley, while Jake sat diagonally opposite her; next to Cadence. Her heart twinged when she saw Jake and Cadence instantly hit a conversation off, as Kirby took casual sips of his drink and laughed along to the two when it was appropriate. Hayley had remained quiet; determined to finish her salad until she lifted her head and saw Jake's affectionate brown orbs examined her unusually pale complexion. He had no idea why she was so uninvolved in the conversation so he decided to talk to her. This, of course, took her by surprise.

"Oh and Hayley," Jake started off, as Hayley suddenly found it hard to breathe. Was it just her or did every time he opened his mouth, his voice got huskier and more attractive? "Congratulations on the awesome planning for 'Cirque du Lakewood'- it sounds like it's going to be a blast this year. Heck, I'm even considering going this year!"

"Yeah Hayley, you're fantastic at organising this kind of stuff," Kirby commented. Cadence only gave Hayley a knowing smile before she decided to join in on the conversation, so the four friends were finally _all_ enjoying their lunch. During that break though, Hayley found herself glancing at Jake every few seconds; with no explanation for her actions whatsoever. And no matter when she looked, he always had that magnificent, crooked grin on that sent hearts racing and minds spinning.

_Just because, you make my heart skip with just one smile._

–

It was the end of the week and it had certainly been a difficult one. Hayley, Kirby and Jake all had their final assessments then, and despite the stress of these very important exams, they had various Troop duties to attend to as well. A giant octopus-like creature had decided to strike Lakewood on this particularly gloomy Friday; this monster being the third one to attack in the past four days, and old Mr Stockley grew continually anxious about the increase in monsters in the Lakewood area. Jake and Kirby finished their exam early and decided to go to the Soda Bar to fetch Mr Stockley a smoothie and some lemon squares, since they were his favourite, and were slowly heading back to Troop headquarters, while Hayley, was in the midst of finishing her last exam in the main school hall.

Although it was only two in the afternoon, the sky was a ghastly grey colour, and it seemed to be turning darker with every passing second. Jake's mind wander as he held the box of freshly baked lemon squares from the Lakewood bakery in the main area of town. He glanced at Kirby, as he took bites of the burger he had bought, and suddenly, he was reminded at how the weather had just dropped a hundred degrees. Jake slipped his now-shivering hands into the warm pockets of his hoodie; the plastic bag holding Mr Stockley's desserts now dangled from his wrist.

"Think Hayley's done with her exam yet?" Kirby asked. Jake seemed to be unfazed by his question, so he asked again. But to his dismay, he realised Jake wasn't paying attention. Jake's mind had somehow wandered off to Hayley Steele. God, she was just so beautiful- inside and out. She was nice, kind but still strong-headed, and despite how corny he sounded, all he wanted to know right then how it felt to be in her arms; to hold her hands; to know that she was his for today and the rest of eternity. But Hayley was perfect- the girl of his dreams that could never be his. Maybe that was why he continued to write comics on Honey Ricochet; deluding himself that this way, she was his, even if it was for a split second of his imagination.

Kirby sighed before nudging Jake with his elbow, causing Jake to jerk his head around and widen his big, brown eyes.

"Huh?" Jake blurted out intelligently.

"I said," Kirby chuckled, as Jake's eyes began to glaze over. "God, why should I even repeat myself? You're just going to doze off and think about Hayley!"

Jake's heart stammered as a beautiful name slipped out of Kirby's mouth. Her yielding chocolate eyes melted his insides as he thought about how it would feel for him to run his hands through her curly blonde hair. And those pink, parted lips- so perfect and pouty...just once, he wish he'd have the guts to touch them; to _taste_ them, against his own.

He realised he had stopped walking, for a reason unknown to him; yet Kirby was way ahead, entering the school gates. Jake felt guilty now that he had payed little attention to his best friend, so he sprinted across the road in order to catch up to Kirby.

"Hey man, wait up!" Jake shouted, before slamming a heavy hand onto Kirby's shoulder to slow him down. He finally stopped moving and Jake panted out short breaths as he steadied his posture. "Look, Kirby, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. I guess I was thinking about Hayley, but that seriously is no excuse. How about after we deliver all this stuff we bought to Mr Stockley, you, me and Hayley catch a flick? We haven't really gone to the cinemas together in ages and plus, it'll be a great way to reward ourselves after our intense studying for the exams,"

Kirby seemed pensive at first, but his stoic expression crumbled immediately as he wrapped his long arms around Jake's muscular form, in an affectionate man-hug. "It's alright man; I know you're totally hooked on Hayley. And a movie sounds great; want to go check if she's done with her exam?"

Jake didn't even bother to retaliate with Kirby's taunts because he knew that whatever he'd deny would technically be a lie. It was all true. He was involuntarily and uncontrollably addicted to Hayley. Her smile, her smell; even her _glares_ at him would set him off into a whirlwind of emotions that he had never experienced with anyone else. And for once, it wasn't lust, like all the other times he had fallen for a girl.

"Hey it looks like Hayley's exam is over coz the hall's empty," Kirby commented as he walked back to Jake. "Maybe she's in the bathroom? Sitting in the same place while regurgitating basically everything I had memorised the night before tends to do things to my bladder,"

Jake laughed at Kirby; mentally acknowledging how lucky he was to have such a goofball as a friend. It made Jake look like not as much of an idiot as he actually was.

"Yeah, or maybe she went to her locker to get extra homework or her cheer-leading pom-poms of something," Jake hypothesised, until Kirby winked at Jake at what he had spontaneously implied. A series of images of Hayley cheering and shaking her hips- and other parts of her body, flashed through his brain, as he imagined her screaming his name in delight, as he defeated monsters to save her. His face flushed and all Kirby did was laugh harder than he ever had before.

That was until Hayley Steele walked out with some _other_ football guy. With his arm around her shoulder as he whispered in her ear so she giggled at the joke, Kirby's happy expression fell slightly. But Jake's, who most definitely did not see this sight coming, was completely shattered, as his complexion paled and fresh, raw pain became evident in his eyes. Kirby could only pat Jake on the back in a pitiful gesture of comfort, but Jake couldn't do anything but stand there and stare at the couple-to-be; a couple, that didn't involve Hayley and him _together_. God damn it, he was only gone for three hours! _Three hours_; that's all it took for him to lose the one he had always wanted. How cruel was that? How could she attract someone immediately, when she was taking an exam? What had he done to deserve any of this- this suffering and frustration that Hayley Steele was not _his_?

Kirby spoke up to Hayley as he waved his hand awkwardly in the air. He stood in front of Jake so he had a chance to regain his composure before facing Hayley again. "Hey Hayley, Jake and I are going to the movies to celebrate the end of our assessments. You want to come?"

Hayley struck a courteous smile at her Troop mate, as her eyes gestured towards the guy in a worried manner. She was incredibly glad to see Kirby...and what seemed to be Jake behind his tall form, because there was some creepy jock that just would not go of her until he got a yes from her to a date. Hayley, obviously declined, because he was arrogant, obnoxious and it was just beyond annoying to her that all he really wanted to do was get into her pants

'Sorry loser, the babe's with me tonight," the guy smirked as he pressed a wet kiss on Hayley's cheek. Slyly, she managed to wipe the saliva off her face as she pressed it against his shoulder blade affectionately. "Tell that Collins dude to stop pining after her like some lost puppy and to get a life. This is my chick now,"

"Hey! She isn't some object, alright?" Jake exclaimed as he emerged from Kirby's shadow. "You should leave her the hell alone; she looks terrified in your grip!"

The jerk face only snorted. "And what makes you think she'd be happier in yours, dork?"

His brown eyes flickered to her pleading ones. Although he had no idea what she might've been begging for, he was fairly sure that it was because she didn't feel the same way about him, and all she wanted him to do was to leave her alone so she could enjoy her time with a meat head like the guy who currently had a solid grasp on her. But even when Jake's mind was screaming at him that this was the logical reason, his heart told him different, and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled back his arm, dug his fingers into his palms so his fist violently connected to Hayley's new boyfriend's jaw.

The boy stumbled back at the intensity of Jake's punch, giving Hayley enough time when he was stunned to release herself from his grip and pull her real friends away, as they ran out the school gate. Kirby knew that they had yet to deliver Mr Stockley's smoothie and lemon squares to him, but it was too dangerous to even _consider _going back into the school yard where an extremely angry bully was just waiting to kill someone.

"Jake...what...why...why did you do that?" Hayley gasped. Kirby winked at Jake discreetly; loving how jealousy had finally made Jake fight for what he wanted.

But to Kirby's disappointment, Jake remained unaffected by her surprise as he shrugged and continued to walk ahead.

_Just because, I can't imagine being with anyone else but you._

–

"Flight AH237, for London, England, is now boarding. Please proceed to the boarding desk at Gate 19. Thank you,"

Hayley exhaled as she got up from the plastic chair that was located outside the boarding location; her nervous fingers clenching the handle of her suitcase to help her get up from her seat. She only had a shirt and cardigan on, yet she felt heavy and guilty, like something was pulling her back from leaving. But no, she couldn't turn back now. Her job was set, the details of her new home were finalised, and her ticket and passport were tucked neatly in her hand.

This was what she wanted- a life after high school to go to college and have the time of her life. Sure, her dream was Yale, but when Cambridge, the most renowned and top university in the world offered her an exclusive scholarship due to her exemplary academic and social records; she had no choice to accept. Mr Stockley was informed of the news first and he was absolutely ecstatic for her, as was Kirby. Her parents were even proud of her, even when they were usually hard to please. What surprised her most was that even Cadence had showed her happiness for her and informed her how she was going to miss messing with her.

She knew they were all going to keep in touch with her, and the thought of the constant communication she would keep with those she loved made her smile quietly to herself. After all, she was moving to a new country to see new people and learn new things- it was going to be hard if she lost connection with her roots.

Then, there was Jake. She had no idea how to break the news to him. God, he was her first real guy friend, and the first one to sincerely care for her and be there for her when she was hurt or devastated over her 'poor' exam marks or when she got her heart broken by some stupid boy. Obviously, she was there for him too, but it always meant so much to her that he looked after her like he was Phoebe, or something. It was nice to know that despite the crazy chaos of the Troop and her insanely busy schedule, there was always one person she could rely on when times got tough. Jake was that someone for her, and over the years, the two grew closer than ever as they hung out all the time, talked all the time and even studied together, just so she could keep an eye out for him. Because of everything the two best friends had went through, Hayley found it virtually impossible to tell him the news she was leaving the country.

So she didn't.

"Final call for Flight AH237 for London, England; boarding at Gate 19; this is the final call for Flight AH237. Please attend to Gate 19 immediately if you have not boarded yet. Thank you,"

With a final sigh, Hayley ran a tired hand through her hair. It wasn't her fault that Jake would wake up tomorrow morning, get up and go to school like a normal Monday, while she missed the last week of school to settle all her foreign university business. Jake surely wasn't going to miss her; he was so funny and smart and amazing...it wouldn't be long til he found someone even more fantastic than she already was and that she'd be replaced. Her heart winced when she realised this and that he'd probably forget that she existed in a few years time.

Hayley took out her phone and clicked the middle button to see her screen display- which was a picture of the two of them grinning together on their prom night. Jake had asked her to go and she absolutely over the moon about it, even when he probably only did that because he knew the two of them were almost the only ones left without dates. Nevertheless, she had a crazy time with Jake; he kept her entertained all night, brought her drinks and food, and even attempted to dance with her, even when he hated. She chuckled to herself lightly at the memory as she continued to admire the portrait-style picture of Jake and her; their arms hooked, showing off her beautiful red corsage, and even more stunning red dress, that matched Jake's crimson tie.

"That's a great picture of us,"

"Thanks," Hayley replied, as she closed her eyes to try and reminisce that night she had realised her overpowering feelings for Jake Collins. Her pulse was racing as desire for him fuelled her veins, so that all she wanted to do was to see him one last time. But she knew she couldn't. She was leaving now; no matter how much she didn't want to. Hell, she must've been going crazy- college had always been her dream, but she even considered giving it all up when she had hallucinated that he had just complimented the picture she was still staring at.

Until a pair of golden brown eyes penetrated through her thick skull, so she stumbled backwards a little. Once again, Jake's reflexes came in handy as his strong arms caught her around her waist. He noticed her cheeks turn pink and she gulped audibly, and all he did was smirk handsomely at the effect he had on her. This calmed his anger for her down a little, especially when he was outraged she hadn't said anything about her leaving. And the fact that everyone knew: Kirby, Mr Stockley; hell even _Felix_ knew- and he was a thousand miles away at D.O.R.K! He was furious that she hadn't chosen to tell him, so that he had to find out from his own _mother_ to go chase after her. It was just ridiculous.

But seeing her all flustered, embarrassed and uncertain about her future, he knew it was obvious. He had to let her go. This was her dream; no matter how much he wanted her with him. If Cambridge made Hayley happy- then so be it.

"You should go," Jake murmured out; as stabs like needles were reverberated through his suddenly weak body, "You're going to miss your flight,"

Hayley remained flabbergasted, as she managed to regain her balance. She didn't look too happy when he had said this and he was utterly confused when her dark eyebrows furrowed and her hands settled firmly on her hips.

"Really, Jake? That's all you have to say to me before I'm going to leave the country for several years?" Hayley snapped, "I mean, here you are, doing an incredibly sweet thing by catching me before my flight and all you have to say is goodbye? Don't you care for me, Jake? Won't you miss me? Won't you miss me _at all_?"

"Of course I care for you, Hayley," Jake whispered compassionately; making Hayley's insides melt into a puddle. Her tough exterior was fading away and to her disadvantage, Jake knew it. His smouldering eyes and husky tone always made her intelligence slip away. "You know I'll miss you more than anyone will, Hayley, you know that. I'm only letting you leave because I know this is what you really want. College means everything to you and Cambridge is the best place to fulfil your dreams. Who am I to stop you?"

"My best friend- that's what you are! That's what you're supposed to be, Jake!" she screamed; clearly frustrated, while Jake stood still. "You're supposed to be selfish and beg for me to stay and tell me that I'm making a huge mistake!"

"But I can't do that!" Jake hissed. How could she make him do something so idiotic?

Hayley slapped his arm and it was clear to everyone, even the bystanders watching the two bicker; that she was fuming. "And why the hell not?"

"Because!" Jake growled; sending chills down Hayley's spine, "Because I love you enough to let you go! Why would you make me do something so selfish like that when it makes you _happy_?"

Abruptly, everything slowed down. Hayley stepped back shockingly, as her eyes continued to lock with Jake's quivering ones. He seemed uncertain; hell, anyone would be, when they had just admitted they loved someone. Hayley's vision suddenly went blurry so the only one she could make out was Jake's angelic form. God, he had always been there for her, and he was only trying to do the best for her...again. She had really been taking him for granted.

In what seemed like forever, she ran forward to collide with his warm form, as the curls in his hair perfectly wrapped around her wandering fingers. Her lips smashed into his and within the millisecond, the potentially awkward and bruising kiss between the two Troop members turned sweet yet passionate. His tongue ran over the swollen flesh of her lips as her knees weakened while she shuddered with joy; their hearts beating in sync, echoing through their ears and the thin material of their shirts.

Jake broke the kiss off and Hayley only pouted disappointedly. Before she could question him on all her insecurities, like if she wasn't a good enough kisser for him, Jake spoke up, with a reluctant expression on his face. "You're going to miss your flight, Hayley. I really can't make you stay when it's Cambridge. You'll never have an opportunity like this again,"

"Well what if I'll never have someone like you again?" Hayley retorted.

"It's just a risk you're going to have to take," Jake sighed. Hayley didn't seem impressed as she folded her arms over her chest and stood her ground. He tried to ignore her stubborn behaviour by counting the number of tiles on the ceiling, but when her intense glare got too much to him as the heat crept back up onto his cheeks; he was forced to face her. "Why aren't you leaving, Hayley?"

"Just because," she smiled sincerely before wrapping her arms around his musk-scented body; listening to the familiar thudding of his heart with her ear pressed against his chest. "I love you enough to want to stay,"

–

**Wow...this was a long one-shot. It's 11:26pm and I am EXHAUSTED! So if there are any mistakes, I'm sorry and I'll change them ASAP! **

**This one-shot took 3 days of planning and 4 days of intense writing- that's around 2 more days of extra work than my normal one-shot! But it's worth it coz 'Just because' has definitely been one of my favourites to write and read! Wasn't it cute, sweet, angsty, dramatic but amazing all wrapped up in one? :D**

**Again, please tell me if you guys want me to write a Christmas/New Year story coz I need to get planning then! (:**

**Thanks for reading guys! Please leave a ****review or no more one-shots****, coz I reckon they're getting kind of hard to write...):**

**Take care guys! ****Review so I can update soon!**** x  
>inspire-the-writer-x3<strong>


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